


A Second Look

by orphan_account



Category: Yowamushi Pedal
Genre: M/M, unrequited Shinkai Hayato/Arakita Yasutomo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-21 15:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2472761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuuto starts to notice how often that unsightly friend of his brother paid attention to Hayato.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief and unsuccessful first meeting

The first time Yuuto met all of Shinkai’s teammates, Hayato had invited them over to their house after their first year in Hakone Academy to stay with them in Hadano. It was all his brother could talk about for weeks, describing his friends and the training races they had together.

Putting another candy in his mouth, he leaned back against the couch and scrutinised them as they talked in the living room; they were standing and talking while they waited for one of them to return from the bedroom. Snacks and drink piled up on the coffee table as they got ready to watch the summer road races live.

To be honest he was mildly disappointed by how unimpressive they looked.

There was Fukutomi, whom Hayato knew since he was young, again stoic and quiet while everyone talked and yelled. He and his brother were standing together; he could never imagine them separate from each other for long. Yet Fukutomi was always too quiet even as a middle schooler. There was the most talkative of the four, who spoke dramatically and constantly chided over the others for behaving poorly. He was very proud and praised himself often yet he shrieked when his phone died halfway while he was texting and ran back up into the bedroom to get his charger.

Then the last guy…

He looked at the guy who sat down next to him. He wasn’t cute at all; if anything he was the least attractive of all of Hayato’s friends. His black hair was chopped short and his eyes were too small. He noticed that he was either extremely loud or extremely passive. Minutes he was snapping at Shinkai and complaining about him and Fukutomi and now he sat back in the couch broodily drinking a second can of bepsi. He noticed Yuuto looking at him, “Yuuto right?” his voice was curt and unfriendly.

“Yeah.”

“You resemble Shinkai. Scrawny though, didn’t Shinkai say you bike as well?”

Yuuto felt a twinge of annoyance; he was a normally calm person if not somewhat impudent. There was something he found irritating about the blunt way this person talked. He couldn’t imagine anyone dealing with this for so long.

“Ah yeah,” He forced a smile, “And you’re…?”

“Arakita,” He then added, “Yasutomo.”

“Oh!” He beamed, as if suddenly remembering, “Yasutomo! Hayato never mentioned how annoying you were.”

“Hah?!” Arakita got riled up, “You’ve got some kind of smart mouth on ya?!” He put down the drink, “And what the fuck?! Don’t you address your elders properly?!”

“Yasutomo is something the matter?”

“Arakita you shouldn’t be picking a fight with Yuuto.”

His shouting attracted the attention of Shinkai and Fukutomi, they looked at him disapprovingly. He seemed to get even more irritated for being targeted; he clenched his teeth and glared at Yuuto. The smaller boy couldn’t help but grin, it was definitely satisfying picking on this person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sdfg I just want to make quick fun scenes and it's not that well written but like...I hope you guys can enjoy it... 
> 
> I had this idea for a few days but I already feel quite passionate about it to be honest. I've been jokingly calling it shinara mostly because a) I like to shit on shinara (I'm sorry) and b) as I plan the parts, I think it somehow makes sense?? I hope people will understand *sweats* I've grown incredibly fond of this pairing the more I think of them!!
> 
> This story is going to be written in seven parts, I'm putting up pt.I and II now and I'll put up pt. III later. I'll write the rest as I get the time to do it...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time they met was a little bit better.

Since they've first met, Arakita and Yuuto didn’t get along. They didn’t fight but when they talked it often ended in subtle jabs from Yuuto to Arakita, who would snap back easily much to the younger boy’s delight. Everyone warned Arakita about reacting to what Yuuto said; it only interested him enough to continue and Yuuto did. It was often remarks about his appearance, Yuuto squinting or making a face and complaining about how it was too early to face Arakita. Other than that, he’d smirk and make fun of him when he messed up or when he needed help from Shinkai. He liked the way he reacted, he was not as calm as Hayato and his speech was harsh and unfiltered. As time went on however Yuuto found that his reactions, although loud and abrupt, never lasted long and soon he didn’t do much other than snarl at Yuuto a little.

The next time they were alone together, Yuuto was waking up from his nap on the living room couch when he heard someone come down the stairs.

“Hah? Napping again?”

He sighed and tugged the mask back down on his face, “You’re not with Hayato?”

Arakita snorted, “Tch, we were gonna come down to watch some videos but the idiot spilled a drink over himself.”

“Oh? I’m sure you enjoyed that.”

He could sense Arakita squinting at him, “What do you mean by that?” Suddenly he felt a few fingers tap on the forehead of his mask, “And what’s up with this mask? You’re into some weird shit, Yuuto.”

“I like it,” He said defensively, casually lifting his mask up so he could stare at Arakita, “What else do you have to say about it?”

Arakita studied him for a few seconds while Yuuto was waiting for a reply. He shrugged and looked away, “Nothing.”

He was unconvinced, “Really?”

“Yeah, do whatever the fuck you want.” He walked around the couch and flopped down beside him; he placed a plastic bag of drinks on the table and reached for the remote so he could switch the TV on. Yuuto sat up and watched him, surprised by how quickly Arakita dropped fights as soon as he picked them. “It’s too much effort to argue with a kid all the time,” He added, as if he knew what Yuuto was thinking.

Yuuto said nothing at first; he pulled off his mask and looked at Arakita, “Do you dislike me?”

“You’re a pain in the ass.” He replied without hesitation, he flipped through the channels until he reached one showing a baseball game being played, he leaned forward and grabbed two drinks, handing one to Yuuto.

Although it disappointed him a little that Arakita rarely fought with him anymore, the quieter the older boy got the more he noticed things about him. Like the fact that even though he constantly complained, he still did as he was said or still went along with what everyone else wanted. He’d groan but still listen to Toudou talk or made sure to pass Fukutomi food when the blonde haired boy got too engrossed in his studies to remember. Yuuto noticed how often he sat with Shinkai, talking with him and laughing often; he had an awful and obnoxious laugh.

As soon as he took the drink from him, Arakita opened his own and leaned back. “You also cycle better than me which pisses me off.”

Yuuto quickly looked at him, eyes widening in surprise as Arakita said that. It was the first time he heard Arakita say anything remotely positive about him.

Slowly and uncertainly he reached out and held his arm, “Are you okay, Arakita?”

Arakita flicked his forehead.

“You’re too fucking rude for your own good.”

Yuuto winced and rubbed his forehead, but he started smiling a little when he lifted his head up again. He held the cool drink in his hand while Arakita keep ranting,

“And you sleep too much. Shouldn’t you be studying to get into Hakone Academy? Hah? You think we fucking slept through the entrance exams and woke up with bicycles?!” He sighed, “You Shinkai brothers are hopeless.”

“Well, you’re still here.”

“Damn right.”

Yuuto opened his mouth, wanting to ask Arakita why when he noticed Arakita leaning his chin against his arm, face turned to look at the stairs with a distracted expression. It didn’t take him long to realise why Arakita came over every holiday.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuto ends up doing all of Arakita's shopping for him

That winter, when they were both meant to meet Arakita, Shinkai caught a cold.

Yuuto entered his room ready to go out with his brother when he found Shinkai coughing and curled under the covers. He didn’t understand why but Hayato’s tolerance to the cold was incredibly weak, even when he wasn’t sick he would still avoid going out as much as he can or bundle up looking like a snowman each winter. It was quite comical except when Yuuto was counting on Shinkai to go out with him so that he could buy more snacks.

Hayato pulled his head out from under the covers and sniffed, “Sorry Yuuto…I don’t think I can go out today.”

Yuuto sighed, watching as his brother pulled the covers over his head again, “It can’t be helped. Are you going to tell Arakita?”

Hayato groaned. An arm reached out and fumbled for the phone on the side table, “He wanted me to help him pick out presents for his sisters. He’ll probably be pissed.” The buttons clicked noisily under the covers as he texted and then paused, “Do you still want to go?”

He blinked. “Just me and Arakita?” He was surprised about how much he felt himself react to the statement.

“Yeah.” A mop of dark reddish hair emerged from the covers, Hayato looked at him as if it was the best idea he came up with, “You’re better at picking girly stuff right? You’d be more helpful at it than me!”

“Well…”

Hayato looked at him pleadingly, “Please, besides I think you two should talk more. Rather than make fun of him all the time.”

Yuuto made a face and started to make a low groaning noise. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to see Arakita, if anything they got along better, but he felt nervous. Hayato pretended to make his eyes bigger and more puppy-like, batting his eyelashes so ridiculously that it made Yuuto laugh; it was something that he always did when Yuuto was reluctant to do things as a child.

“Alright, alright. Where do I meet him again?”

***

Arakita scowled and dropped his phone in his pocket, “Stupid Shinkai.” He leaned back against the wall of the train station, pulling his scarf tightly around his face and shoving his hands into his pockets. It was cold and he got out of bed early to get onto the train and meet Shinkai only to find out the idiot got sick.

He noticed a person approaching him and looked up; Yuuto was standing dressed in a soft blue jacket and rabbit earmuffs. Again with the weird clothes, he thought and huffed, burying his face into his scarf.

“Yo.”

Yuuto smiled and waved, “Have you been here since Shinkai called you? That was stupid.”

“Shut up.” he walked over and grabbed his shoulder, making him walk with him, “Let’s go before I fucking freeze.”

They walked along the streets, passing by stores and kiosks as they head down to the department store up ahead. He started muttering about Shinkai all the way until they entered the building, Yuuto half-listening. From time to time he’d catch himself looking at Arakita, he didn’t seem as unpleasant as he first saw him, and there was something comforting about the sharp, aggressive way he talked. Sometimes Yuuto would end up staring for too long and realise he hadn’t heard a word he said, having to mumble an incoherent answer when Arakita asked him questions to avoid looking suspicious.

He shifted his attention to the shops instead, his eyes settling on a boutique to the left.

Ahead, Arakita noticed Yuuto slowing down and looked to his side. He saw him staring at the shop display and then looked up, noting the name of the store. He shoved the back of Yuuto’s head, “Come on let’s go in.”

Accessories adorned the walls of the shop; girls and young women alike flocked to the stands full of necklaces and stood in front of the mirrors trying out hairbands and earrings. Yuuto’s face immediately lit up upon entering the store, staring at the hairclips and jewellery in awe and walking around until Arakita shook him. Suddenly remembering his existence, Yuuto looked at Arakita, who was clearly uncomfortable with his surroundings.

“Geez, okay let’s just get something and get out.”

“Alright, what do your sisters like?”

“My youngest likes, uhh, dogs and blue I guess. The older one likes bracelets more but she hated the ones I’ve picked for her before.”

“What did you pick for her…?” He wondered grimly, looking down in a pile of bracelets and picking through them. Arakita leaned beside him, squinting at how Yuuto picked and sorted through the various accessories, asking him about colour and design.

“You know a lot about this.” He observed,

“I like them.” He said.

“Hah? This kind of stuff?”

“They’re cute.” He said simply, Arakita said ‘tch’ but didn’t say anything else. Yuuto held out a bracelet with coloured beads, “Does your sister wear something like this?”

“No, she’s too old for that.” He rested his elbow on Yuuto’s shoulder, “Get something simpler.”

Yuuto felt his cheeks warm as Arakita leaned his weight against him and stared intently at the accessories instead. He was kind of glad Arakita never seem to comment on what he liked, guilty remembering all the times he had picked at what Arakita did or liked.

“Hey, Yuuto.”

“Hm?”

“Can you…can you help me get something for Shinkai later?” He sounded sheepish and then hastily added, “Since he’s sick you know.”

Yuuto went quiet. Sullenly he muttered, “Isn’t he your friend? Shouldn’t you know?”

Arakita turned red and scowled, “Look I’m not good at gifts!”

Yuuto still didn’t say anything; he felt irritated when Arakita brought up Hayato and briefly thought of just leaving Arakita to pick out all the presents. He hated this feeling.

After a while he said, “He likes satsumas. We can get some afterwards.”

Arakita looked at Yuuto and then grinned, “Thanks, kid.”

“Yeah.” He handed Arakita a pair of bracelets and a bow shaped clip with a puppy in the centre, “Here.”

“These look pretty good…” Arakita ruffled his hair, “You’re not bad, Yuuto!”

When Arakita was happy he didn’t look too bad, he thought. The permanent scowl on his face disappears and he would grin with all his teeth. Yuuto pushed his hair back from his face and smiled, “Treat me to cake afterwards.”

***

They hung out for another two hours after getting the presents; Arakita pointed out it was too early and brought Yuuto out to eat cake as promised. As they sat in the café, they chatted and while he didn’t laugh obnoxiously Arakita would still snort at some of the things said, causing Yuuto to laugh at him. At the train station, Arakita handed him the bag of satsumas and ruffled Yuuto’s hair once more, causing the younger boy to laugh and bat his hands away. After his train left, Yuuto returned home happy and calm.

As he entered the living room, he saw Hayato sitting on the couch, looking a bit better than he saw him that morning.

“Yuuto, you’re back! How was it?”

“It’s good,” He walked over and handed Shinkai the bag, “Arakita bought you these.”

His eyes lit up, “Satsumas!” Immediately he pulled one out and started peeling it, “He’s too kind isn’t he, Yuuto?”

Yuuto looked elsewhere and shrugged, “Yeah he is.”

“Hm? There’s something else in this bag.” He pulled out a small paper packet, “It has your name on it, Yuuto.”

“Wha…?” He sat down with Hayato who handed him the packet, he examined it and saw his name scrawled messily in a ballpoint pen, he later realised it was in the same wrapping paper that Arakita got his sisters’ presents wrapped in. Carefully he tore the top and pulled out the contents, his eyes widened.

Hayato chewed on a satsume segment as he looked at the hairclips, “Aren’t those of the doll character that you like, Yuuto?”

“Yeah…they had an accessory line on display at the shop we went to…”

“Arakita must have bought them for you.” He beamed, “He always never tells us that he bought something, he’d usually leave it somewhere for us to find. Make sure you thank him later, Yuuto.”

“Y-Yeah… ” He stood up again, clutching the clips tightly in his hand, “I’m gonna head upstairs alright?”

“Oh? Sure.”

Without facing him, Yuuto went out of the living room, not listening to Hayato who was trying to remind him to take his bag up with him. As he walked up the stairs, he stopped halfway and leaned against the wall, opening his hand to look at them once more, his face hot and his heart beating.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions

“Hey Arakita. You like Shinkai right?”

Arakita spluttered and choked on his drink, they were resting at a bus stop after cycling when Yuuto suddenly brought the question up. He coughed and looked at Yuuto,

“W-What the fuck?! Where did you…?”

Yuuto laughed and leaned back against the seat, swinging his legs in delight,

“It’s true right? It’s so obvious.”

Arakita dipped his head, pressing them against his head in shame, stiffly he nodded. Yuuto smirked. It’s been so long since he got the better of him.

“So when did you start liking him?

Arakita lifted his head up, glaring at Yuuto with a passion,

“Around the beginning of second year or something, argh, I don’t know!” He groaned, “What the fuck?! Is it that obvious?! Does anyone else know?!”

“I dunno,” he tried not to laugh, “But it’s pretty funny, you always complain a lot about him when he’s not around.” He took the drink from him and took a sip, watching as Arakita folded his arms and buried his face into them. He put the drink down on the seat and leaned forward, “So why do you like Hayato?”

“I don’t know.” He replied sullenly, “He’s an idiot.”

“A good-looking idiot right?”

He didn’t say anything but Yuuto noticed the tips of his ears slowly turn red. He smiled gently, he knew Hayato had always been had the more striking features between them, that combined with his caring and strong-willed personality made him someone that Yuuto admired greatly. It made him a little envious that even Arakita thought so.

“Don’t tell him alright?”

“Why? It’s Hayato, he’s not gonna laugh at you.”

“Look. Just don’t tell him.” There was something very serious about the way he said it and Yuuto realised just how reluctant he was to let Hayato know. Perhaps he thought that it would ruin their friendship in some way, or that he was afraid of being rejected.

“Alright. But on one condition.”

Arakita lifted his head up and scowled, “Are you kidding me? I thought I already bought you lunch today.”

“You have to kiss me.”

Silence.

“What the fuck?!” Arakita regained his composure, “You’re kidding right?! What do you mean by that?”

“Just one kiss,” Yuuto said calmly, his face had started to redden in shame as Arakita spoke but he tried to keep cool and persisted with his request, “I’ll keep your secret if you do.”

“Why the fuck do you want – you’re Shinkai’s little brother!”

“If you want, you can close your eyes and pretend I’m Hayato-” He felt Arakita grab the front of his shirt roughly and shove him against the bus stop.

“Shut up.” He said firmly, his tone was clearly filled with anger. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Yuuto looked away, “Sorry.”

“What the hell? What’s with this shit?”

“Sorry.” He said again, still refusing to meet his eyes. He clutched Arakita’s wrist tightly, shaken up and afraid to face him. Although Arakita’s question was genuine, he was too shocked by his aggression and the anger in his voice to reply properly.

Arakita exhaled noisily and released his shirt, “I’m done talking.” He grabbed his bike and started to get on, “Let’s go.”

Quietly Yuuto followed him, staying a little bit behind them as they rode. Arakita never looked back at him, cycling in front of him silently. He wondered if he was still angry at him, or if he hated him. He thought of the expression on his face when he grabbed his shirt, how he shook with anger, how he looked confused.

During the times Arakita sped up, Yuuto cycled closer, afraid of the thought that he would leave him behind.

As they reached the bend down the hill, Arakita suddenly stopped, his head hung over his bike.

“God fucking dammit!” He cursed into the air.

Yuuto slowed down beside him, “Is something wrong, Arakita?”

He didn’t say anything; instead he leaned over his bike and reached out to hold the back of Yuuto’s head, moving in to kiss him on the lips. His lips were chapped and thin, he was clumsy and smelled of sweat, but Yuuto could still hear his own heart beat when he held his breath. Before he could do anything more, the older boy broke the kiss, “Keep your promise.” He said in a heavy whisper, his hand still holding his face. Yuuto nodded eagerly, moving with Arakita’s hand as he pulled away and straightened up on his bike again. He still didn't say anything until they returned to his house but this time Yuuto cycled beside him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuto visits unexpectantly.

It was the beginning of the mid-term break and most of the cycling club were staying at the dorms so that they could train for the upcoming inter-high.

Arakita was up, wincing at the morning sun as he shuffled into the canteen to grab some food. He was shoving some toast into his mouth while he walked when he heard Shinkai talking enthusiastically to someone in the dining hall.

Curious, he stopped by to check; he saw Shinkai was sitting at the table, happily chatting away, only pausing when he heard Arakita come in. He beamed at him, “Ah, Yasutomo you’re awake.”

“Morning, Shinkai.”

“Arakita, good morning.”

He froze, food still half-chewed in his mouth when he saw Yuuto sitting with Shinkai, waving at him with a pink hairclip in his bangs. Shinkai grabbed Yuuto’s shoulder, he shook him affectionately and grinned, “Guess what? Yuuto decided to visit us for a few days so he could see what Hakone Academy is like. Isn’t that great?”

“I’m so excited.” Yuuto said with a smile, “I hope you’ll help me around sometimes.” He winked and mimicked Shinkai’s finger gun pose, aiming straight at him.

Arakita felt sick. It was going to be a long week.

***

Yuuto knew his presence made Arakita uncomfortable. For the first two days, Arakita tried to avoid situations where he would be caught between him and his brother. Whenever Yuuto asked him anything, his replies would be short and forced and he would try to avoid being in the same room with him. This led to Yuuto observing a number of things:

Arakita would try to train as much as possible, insisting to do practice laps outside the school instead of staying on the rollers. While he seemed happier on the bike it caused Fukutomi, who didn’t notice anything particularly out of the ordinary, to be impressed at Arakita’s newfound diligence and made him do additional laps whether he wanted to or not.

On the first night when Yuuto sat between him and Hayato for dinner, Yuuto reached out and brushed his fingers up Arakita’s hand. The older boy jumped up so quickly that he knocked his knee against the table, later stumbling backwards when Hayato offered to help. Watching him struggle, Yuuto had to do everything to hide his laughter.

And although he was not happy at the idea of Hayato spending so much time with Yuuto, he couldn’t do anything about it which led him to avoid what he thought was the next biggest disaster: Yuuto being left with Toudou. Every time Toudou wanted to sit and talk to the young boy, Arakita would immediately cut between them, pushing him away into a different room. Toudou was extremely offended by this but Arakita didn’t seem to care. Once, he pushed Yuuto right out of the room, his hands gripping his shoulders tightly and he snarled and muttered the whole way out. When they were out he relaxed but didn’t let go, Yuuto felt him stay there briefly but when he turned around to talk to him he immediately released him and left scowling.

On the second night he managed to catch Arakita alone. Or more like he went to his room while Shinkai went down to the hot spring bath with Fukutomi.

He entered the room to find Arakita sitting on his bed studying, he looked up and frowned when he saw him come in but didn’t make any attempt to yell at him or chase him out.

“Nice room.” Yuuto commented, glancing around the mess of school books and clothes. There was a stack of cycling magazines on his table, which was already overflowing with stationary and old cups. “You’re studying hard.”

“Tch,” He looked back down at his notes, “I have a test to pass if I want to cycle this inter-high.”

Yuuto nodded, half-listening as he walked up to Arakita and kissed him. Arakita bristled but let him. He frowned when Yuuto pulled away and shoved him to one side when he tried to sit on his lap.

“I’m working here!” He grumbled, “And you said only one kiss.”

“You didn’t mind just now.”

Arakita glared at him but didn’t say anything. Yuuto then asked, “Can I stay here?”

“Whatever, but if Shinkai comes looking for you I want you out.” He propped his head on his hand while he stared at his book, “I don’t need you two messing up my life at the same time.”

“I’ll promise to be quiet.” He said with a grin, he leaned forward, looking at Arakita’s book, “What are you doing?”

“Maths.”

“That’s boring.” He looked up at Arakita and said cheerily, “Let’s do something fun.” his face was close to his but there was no attempt by either of them to move away. Without another word, he kisses Arakita again. This time, he reacted and kissed back, slowly at first before pulling away. For some reason, Yuuto noticed that his kisses always seemed restrained; at the moments when it felt most intense he would stop suddenly, as if he’s giving up.

“You’re a bad kisser, Arakita.” He pointed out, this close to his face, he noticed his eyelashes and how long they were.

“What the fuck do you know about kissing? You’re only in middle school.”

“I think I know as much as you do,” Yuuto smirked, “I could help you practice so you don’t mess up with Hayato.”

All of a sudden, Arakita appeared to have lost interest in kissing Yuuto. His eyebrows narrowed briefly and he looked irritated as he pushed Yuuto off him again,

“I have to study.”

Although confused by his sudden coldness, Yuuto didn’t complain. He moved over to the table and picked up one of the cycling magazines and started to flip through it. They were still sitting close to each other but for a while the room was almost quiet, only the sound of Arakita’s pen scribbling and Yuuto flipping through the pages could be heard.

Without looking up from his work, Arakita pointed out, “You’re wearing those hairclips.”

Yuuto looked up; it took him a moment to remember that he was wearing the pair that Arakita had given him during Christmas. He smiled, pleased that he noticed.

“They’re one of my favourites.”

“Why do you like this cute shit so much?” he asked, it didn’t sound like an insult so much as a genuine question.

Yuuto shrugged, “I dunno. I just like how they look.”

“Okay, but why that doll girl thing? Like your mask? It’s fucking creepy.”

“It’s my favourite.” He reached out and touched the hairclips, “I got the mask from a festival I went to with Hayato.”

“Shinkai got it for you?”

“Yeah, I like them so much I started getting more after that.” He continued to chatter, not realising by that point Arakita looked like he wasn’t paying attention. If he was looking at Arakita, he would have noticed that Arakita was no longer working either, instead he kept staring at Yuuto through half-lidded eyes. “Hayato even got one for me, it was so cu-“

He felt a pair of lips press against the back of his neck. Suddenly the boy jerked away and reflexively grabbed his neck where Arakita kissed him. He turned and looked at him in shock.

Arakita raised his brows, “What? I just kissed your neck.”

Yuuto’s face turned pink and he looked down, “I – you surprised me.”

“Hah, seriously? You jump and kiss me all the time but I kiss your neck once and you freak out?” he tilted his head and smirked a little, “Are you sensitive there?”

“N-No!”

This time Arakita couldn’t help but laugh, loudly and obnoxiously, “I can’t believe it; you’re seriously getting worked up over this.” He looked at Yuuto and grinned, “You’re cute like this though.”

Yuuto blushed, immediately he stared down intensely at the magazine, trying not to think about what Arakita had said. Deep down, he was flustered and confused. For some reason, Arakita looked different than usual, more relaxed than he remembered seeing him. His smile was still wide and showed all his teeth but it wasn’t unattractive for once; he liked the fact that he smiled like that with him.

“If it bothers you, I won’t do it again.”

“Uh, yeah…” There was a brief silence while Yuuto rubbed his neck, “Arakita? Could I come over to your room more often?”

Arakita didn’t reply immediately but then said, “Yeah, so long as you’re not bothering me.”

“Okay.” He lowered his head; staring intensely at the magazine, he was unable to stop smiling.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His love felt hot and smothering.

Yuuto liked staying in Hakone; he liked the cool mountain air and the long, winding hills around the school. When he wasn’t hanging out with Hayato, he would go and cycle up them, finding thrill in each new slope he came across.

He liked spending time with Hayato, he missed the days when they shared a room and talked. He was happy to see that his brother was cycling; he was worried that something had happened to him when he had decided to stop a year ago but looking at him now, laughing and cycling with his friends, he seemed to be much happier.

The thing he loved the most however were the moments in the evening when he would come to Arakita’s room, just to sit with him while he worked. They would stop sometimes to kiss, Yuuto would move to sit on Arakita’s lap and let Arakita tangle his hands in his hair. He still stopped before it got too heated but he kissed more, longer and lingering for moments before he pulled away. Afterwards, he would let Yuuto continue to rest against him while he worked, waking him if he fell asleep from the warmth of his body. Being near Arakita was calming.

But it made it harder to watch Arakita hang out with Hayato.

When he saw Arakita talking with Hayato, _laughing_ with him, Yuuto felt his stomach twist itself into a knot. He couldn’t stand it. Arakita always looked so goddamn happy around Hayato; he seemed much more comfortable with him than he had ever been with Yuuto and when he patted Hayato for a job well done Yuuto would feel his fingernails dig into his palms and his teeth clench slightly. Sometimes he would cut in, asking Hayato to do things with him and leading him away before Arakita could say a word, he wouldn’t look back to see the expression on his face, he didn’t want him to know what he was really doing.

On the last night before Yuuto had to leave, he was in Arakita’s room again lying on top of his chest while they kissed. Once again, he stopped them and Yuuto went along with it, knowing there this happened all the time. He folded his arms on his chest and rested his head on top,

“Arakita, do you think I’m cute?”                 

His cheeks turned slightly pink, “Why the hell are you asking that?”

“I’m just curious.” He sat up and smiled calmly, “But no matter what, I won’t be as cute as Hayato right?”

Arakita looked at him, he seemed annoyed again. He pushed himself up and narrowed his brow, “Cut it out, Yuuto.”

“What?”

“Why do you bring Shinkai up all the time? It pisses me off when you do that.” He huffed, “Look Yuuto, we need to talk. You’ve been acting weird for days.”

Yuuto doesn’t say anything, he moved away from Arakita and doesn’t look at him but the other boy doesn’t give up, persisting with his questions.

“Why do you keep comparing yourself to Shinkai?”

Reluctantly he said, “Because that’s who you like right? You like Hayato but you’re too cowardly to tell him so in the end you’re stuck with his little brother.”

Arakita didn’t get angry, he didn’t yell as he thought he would, as he had planned to aggravate him. Instead, he talked to him firmly, his voice was unshaken and his words were harsh, “Is that it? You think you’re a substitute for Shinkai?”

Yuuto tensed up when he said substitute, it hurts more when he says it. He nodded.

Arakita frowned, “You don’t know anything do you?”

“But it’s true isn’t it?” Yuuto said defensively.

Arakita shook his head, “I liked Shinkai yeah. But you’re not Shinkai.” He grabbed Yuuto’s wrist as he continued, “You’re scrawny and rude and you annoy the fuck out of me. Shinkai is a saint compared to you.” He pulled him closer, forcing Yuuto to face him as he stared back. Yuuto has never seen him look that serious, “Stop talking about Shinkai already. I don’t care and it pisses me off.”

“Then – Who…?”

Arakita blushed a little, “You fucking idiot, do I have to spell everything out to you?! Fuck that.” He grabbed his arms and kissed him, surprising Yuuto with the force in his kiss but refusing to stop. He kept kissing him, each kiss and touch was aggressive as he continued, and this time he didn’t stop or hold back. He kissed his face and jaw and Yuuto gasped from the heat until he felt Arakita crush his lips against his again. When he pulled away, Yuuto’s face was all red and he was breathing hard, he looked upset and overwhelmed. Arakita pulled him close again, letting him rest his face against his shoulder. He stroked his hair gently,

“Quit acting like you know everything, Yuuto. Face me sometimes.”

Yuuto nodded, his face still buried in his shirt. It felt so warm and his voice, though grumbly, was soft and calm.

They stayed there for a while, when Yuuto felt calmer he lifted his head up and asked, “Why me?”

“You’re still asking?! Geez!”

“I want to know.”

Arakita’s face turned red, he looked away and started to answer him, “You’re…” his voice started to mumble toward the end.

Yuuto tilted his head closer to him. “What was that?”

“Hah?! You want me to repeat it?! No fucking way!”

“You didn’t say it, I didn’t hear it.”

“What are you deaf or something?!”

“Arakita you have to face me too.”

“Argh, fuck! Fine! You’re cute! You’re a fucking cute idiot! Happy?!”

Yuuto laughed, freely and happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only the epilogue left!!


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe next time.

It was the Arakita’s last week in Hakone and he was still packing up the last of his things in his dorm. His walls were stripped clean of revision notes and timetables and his desk was clean for the first time in months. He was kneeling on the floor, shoving all his clothes into his bags.

Yuuto was on his bed, lying on his stomach while he flips through a magazine that Arakita hadn’t packed yet. He lost interest and while ago and was looking at Arakita, lifting his feet up into the air and letting them sway back and forth.

“Hey, Yasutomo.”

Arakita pushed the protruding sleeves of the shirts back into the bag and tried to zip it up again, without even looking up at Yuuto he asked, “What?”

“When can we do it?”

“No fucking way.”

Yuuto pouted. “I’m almost in high school.”

“No shit, then I’m almost an engineer, I won’t have time for kids.”

“You’re no fun, Arakita.”

He put his bag away and leaned back, sighing in relief. He looked at Yuuto, “Ask me that in a few years and I’ll think about it.”

“Can I visit you at Yonan sometimes?”

“If Shinkai allows it.” he shoots a look at Yuuto, “As if you have time when you’ve got high school to worry about.”

Yuuto just laughs. They both knew it would take more than this to get Yuuto to care about high school.

Arakita glances around the room, “Did I leave anything up there?”

Yuuto points to a shopping bag that had been sitting on Arakita’s chair untouched for a while. He looks at it, “That?” instead of moving to collect it he said, “You should get it.”

“Huh? It’s closer to you.”

“I got that for you. I was gonna give it to you before you left.”

This time Yuuto lights up, “Really?!” he jumps off the bed and immediately moves to the chair, excited to see what was in it. Judging by the bag, it looked like it was from a clothes shop and he wondered if Arakita got him a shirt. He rummaged through it and pulled out a pink coloured dress.

“You said you wanted to feel girly sometimes right?”

Yuuto stared at it with wide eyes, it was soft and the end of the dress was pleated. A ribbon hung loosely around the waist and Yuuto was surprised that it looked like his size, he didn’t think Arakita could buy anything like this by himself. He looked at him, still wide eyed with excitement, “Can I try it on now?”

Arakita shrugged, “Go ahead.” He got up and locked the door as Yuuto began to pull his clothes off, sitting down on the chair and watching him put it on.

“I can’t imagine you going into the store, Yasutomo.”

“Shut up, you know how hard it is to find a dress for you? You’re too damn tall.”

Yuuto smirked, “I’ll be taller than you one day.” he fumbled with the zip, “Can you help me?”

Arakita gestured for him to turn around and he helped zipped him up. Then without saying anything, he picked up the ends of the ribbon and started to tie it around Yuuto’s back. “It looks good at you,” He said, looking pleased with his dress choice. It looked cute on him.

Yuuto didn’t say anything; he lifted his hand and started to rub his eyes,

“Are you crying?”

“No.”

He didn’t say anything and pulled the bow tight, “I told you we shouldn’t have continued this since I was going to Yonan.”

“I know.”

He kissed Yuuto’s back and pulled him into his back, messing his hair up roughly, “Hey, make sure you have fun. Work on your cycling and pester other people, give me a break for once.”

Yuuto nodded, Arakita put his arms around his waist. Yuuto forced himself to smile again and put his arms around the older boy’s neck, “I’ll miss you.”

They kissed again and Arakita sighed, “Grow up first.” He smiled, it was warm and sincere and showed his teeth, “If you still wanna pester me then I can’t stop you.”

This time Yuuto smiled. He’ll grow up fast, he thought. Faster and taller than Arakita would expect and then maybe then he will look for him once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're done!! Yes they broke up haha but I wanted to write a kind of love story that still feels good even though it doesn't work out. Sorry to have misled you all like this. I hope I managed to do this though...
> 
> This is my first multichapter fic and even though I sped through like an madman it was a fun ride!! Wow!! Thank you to everyone who read and commented!! I was genuinely surprised by the reception to it so I'm incredibly flattered that quite a few of you enjoyed it!!  
> Also I want to say a special thank you to [Bati](http://araquita.tumblr.com/)/[3limas](http://archiveofourown.org/users/3limas)!! They've been super sweet and somehow been there watching since the beginning even when I've just been shrieking on tumblr and making a general fool of myself. Thanks a lot!! It was nice meeting you ^^
> 
> Hugs and kisses everyone!!


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